Rice-harvester.



Patented May 1, I900.

No. 648,88l.

J. PRIDMDRE.

RICE HABVESTER.

(Application filed Juno 2, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

iflfljjijgs %ggl ENTL/DVZZ I ATTORNEY.

No. 648,88l. Patented may I900. J. W. PRIDMORE. I

RICE HARVESTER.

{Application filed June 2, 1898.| (No Model.) 2 $heets-Sheet 2.

" P I s 1 WITNESSES: %fim' NT oR' T met-w; shim-Iona, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, J HARVESTING MACHINE COMPANY, or Samaritan RICE-HARVESTERJ.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,881, dated; ay I900 Application filed June 2,1898; 7 Serial No. 6 32343. (No model 7:

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN W. PRIDMORE,a

. citizen of the United States, residing at Chi- 'the machine.

cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illi-' nois, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Machines for Harvesting Rice, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to improvements in harvesting machines in which the machine is supported upon wheels and drawnover the surface of the ground to cut the standing crop; Rice is usually grown on inun'dated'or overflowed land, the soil at harvest time being very soft or covered with waterand the wheels of the machine sink into the mud to considerable depths. The straw and trash upon the surface of the ground mixes with the mud and hangs onto the wheels andunl'ess the tread-face of the wheel is provided with projecting lugs the wheels will slip and not drive the devices on The trash andfdirt that adheres to the wheel and is carried by it-has heretofore caused much trouble'by dropping into the gearing, winding about the shafting, adhering to the face of the wheel, filling the spaces between 'thelugs, and increasing the diameter of the wheel, so'that it has no room to revolve in the frame. v

The objects ofvniy improvement are, first, to'provide awheel to the side of which the dirt will not adhere and which sides will not increase the draft by forcing the ground from the track that has been cut by the tire; secend, to provide a clearer or; scraper for the wheel to remove any dirt that may adhere to it; third, to protect the shafting from trash; fourth, to remove the gearing away from the wheel, and, fifth;lto so construct the frame of the harvester as to allow a wheel of large diameter to be used and the gearing to be separated from it and still have sufiicient strength to stand the great strain that is thrown upon it in the muddy-fields throughwhich it must be drawn; I attain these objects by mechanism illustrated in the accompanying draw ings, in which Figure 1 1s a top view of so much of the,

framework of the harvester and main drivingwheel as is necessary to show my improvements. The main wheel is partly b ken platform-sill D in the r,

'ing of the m-achinel' rear sill D of the platf .wardly, as shown at l) attachment for the tong .r'nitt ed di'rectlythrough toth placed inthis positionjthe l borne in mind that th'e p Asslenoa r away to show its cons side viewof the main y framing of the harvester shown the position of A device when they are lowere Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are deft the construction'of so j Similarlettersreferto out the several. views The main frame of t of one piece of channe cles the main wheel B j bolted to the platform fitted to. its tread-fac' lugs practically increa F wheel and make, necessa 11- for the revolution of tlr 'wlie struction of harvester side of the main wheel to the main wheel so 'th the team uponthe'm in g t. wheel H is close to thesideofthe "l the-smaller sprocket-whee behind theinainwheel rience with such machi has shown that the trash p] will mix with the mud 'aii fq'rf' mixture that will adhere 61', E

into the links of the chain,

the chain from the sprocket v'lii" nn provement I have inovcdithe 'innei ill Eiaway- -from .t-hewhecl and Carrie the prockts 9o aud'I toward the sill 1 "The sill (not ow;

ever, continued In as the front framing of the in front of the sprock,

m e l enae to 1Q p l a ir 95' ward sill of the framed OfQQL: toi furnis h attachment for the. tong must be practically th adapted for hariiestin r1,

team walks besidethe' st (11 theremustitherefore b sufiijcient r animal between the tongue and the standing crop. It also should be bornein mind that in order to balance the machine without side draft the main wheel must be positioned in the frame outside of the line of attachment of the tongue. The inner sill F is reinforced by a strong brace J, which extends toward the platform at both the forward and rear ends, the forward end attaching to the framing practically at the same point as the tonguebrace K. This formation of the inner sill thus gives room for the gearing to be separated from the main wheel and still furnishes a place of attachment for the tongue and its brace, whereby the great strain that neces sarily follows from dragging the machine through the mud is, transmitted to the rear 1 of the framing, thus tying the machine sea single row of spokes which are positioned curely together.

"As before remarked, the mixture of mud and grass will adhere to-the wheel with great tenacity. In ,all rice-harvesters that I have seen the sides of the wheels have been perpendicular or'with an outward flare, it being the notion thatth'e mud would not adhere. when thesidesof the wheels were built in this-way. I have formed my main wheel, however, with in the hub as it is cast. The wheel is therefore much thinnerat the hub than at the felly. It has a wide-tread face, which is supported' on the spokes, and from the felly or rim a covering L is extended on both sides of thewheel'to the hub. This covering incloses the spokesandfiares inwardly. Experience has shown that in the soft mud of the rice-fields this inward flare of the sides makes thewheelrun'easier, as the covering is n'otcalled on to force a wider track, as it would if the covering were perpendicular with mud adhering to its sides or had an outward flare.

In the rice-machines that have been heretofore built scrapers and knives have been used to cut the mixture of mud and grass thatadheres to the face of the wheel; but these scrapers and knives have been rigidly fastened to the frame. raisedand lowered on the main wheel these scrapers and knives would be thrown, because of the curvature ofthe bridles M, fartherto or from the rim of the wheel. If they were placed close enough to do any good when the frame was at one extremityof its movement, they would be caught and torn from the machine'when the wheel was at the other extremity of'its movement. As a part of my improvement I have mounted these clearers so that they follow the main wheel in its movement. Inthe drawings I show one plan of making the clearers follow the movement 1 of 'the wheel. on the cross-shaft N, to which motion is transmitted by a chain from; the sprocket-wheel H by means of the sprocket- .whee'l 'L'I sleeve a casting'(). This sleeve 0 not only supports. the clearers, but it acts as a shihld to the shaft. To the, sleeve As the frame" was 0 olearers, such as P, are attached and project to the face of the wheel. ings the clearer is shown projecting between the lines of the lugs E. The clearer is bolted to an arm'o on the sleeve 0, and its position is regulated by the set-screw o. The sleeve or casting O is rocked around the cross-shaft N, and the point of the clearer P is moved as the wheel goes up and down by an arm 0 which rocks the sleeve. In the drawings this link Q, which is pivoted in the main frame A at one end and attached to the hub of the main wheel at the other end. As the frame of the machine is raisedand lowered on the main wheel the c0nnecting rod- Q occupies difierent positions, and thus moves the clearer P so as to make it conform to the position of the wheel in the frame. having these clearers move so as to be kept close to the rim of the wheel is very evident to those who have had experience with ricemachines in the field. \Vhateverstuif gathers upon the wheel and stays for any length of time becomes so compacted that it will push the clearer-s away and many times bend them outof shape.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by-Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a harvester for rice and the like, of a supporting-wheel, said wheel having a wide tread fitted with projecting lugs, and spokes inclosed and protected by closed sides, an elongated hub to the wheel, and a gear-wheel secured to the hub in a vertical plane inward from the plane of the tread of the wheel, with an intervening space between said gear and wheel-tread, whereby the the wheel in its revolution will not drop onto the gear-wheel.

2. The combination, in a harvester for rice and the like, of a supporting-wheel having a wide tread and spokes inclosed and protected by closed sides, a hub to-which the drivinggear is secured, said .hub being elongated on the grainward side of the supporting-wheel so as to provide an intervening space between said supporting-wheel and the gear-wheel, a cross-shaft mounted on the frame at the rear of the supporting-wheel, and a drive-pinion located in the vertical plane of the drive-gear on the hub, whereby the dirt and trash which falls from the main wheel will not fall upon the gear or pinion,

and the like, of the main frame,.the supporting-wheel, a draft-tongue connected to the frame at a point grainward from the wheel, and a cross-sill connecting the front and rear sills of the frame, the main portion of said cross-sill being located grainward from the driving-gear onthe grain side of the supporting-wheel and the front end of said sill being bent stubbleward into the line of the tongue.

The necessity of I11 the drawarm is shown as governed by the connectingdirt and trash which may be carried upby 3. The combination, in a harvester for rice 1 0' Y line of the tongue to provide a space for the a driving-gear 0n the inner end 'of the supporting wheel hub, a driven pinion at the rear of the frame and in the vertical plane of thegearevlmel, and a cross-sill connecting the front and rear sills of the frame, the main portion of said cross-sill being located grain-' ward from the line of the tongue to provide-a space for said driving gear and pinion on the grain side of the supponting-wheel and the front end of saidsill beingbent st'nbbleward into the line of the tongue.

5. The combination, in a harvester for rice and the like, of a main frame, a main wheel adjustably positioned therein and having a wide tread, a clearer-bar pivoted on themainframe With-its free end contiguous to the Wheel and means whereby the free end 05: t" e clearerbar is made to follow the wheel when the frame is adjusted on the wheel.

G. The combination, in a hit and the like, of a main wheel which supports rvester for rice the frame of the machine and on which'the frame is adjusted, a clearer-bar mounted on the frame and'adap'led to follow thewheel, as the frame is adjusted on the Wheel.

7. The combination, in a harvester for rice and the like, of a main Wheel on which. the frame'of the machine is monn-tedand on which it is adjusted, a clearer-bar mounted on a sleeve pivoted to the machine, and a connection between the sleeve and the hub of the main wheel, whereby when the frame is adjusted on the wheel the sleeve carrying the clearer-bar is looked on its pivot.

'8. lhe combination, in a harvester for rice and the like, of a. main; wheel onwhich the machine. ismonnted and on which it is adjustable for high-end low cutting, a clearerbar adj ustably mounted on a casting pivoted to, the frame of the machine, and astilfconneetion uniting the clearer-bar pivot-casting with the hub of the main wheel.

JOHN XV. PRIDMOREZ lVitnesses:

BERT R. BENJAMIN, XVM. WE'BBER. 

